Into the Darkness (And Out of the Light)
by devilishlyhandsomeagain
Summary: With Emma gone, Killian and her family are determined to get her back. But whilst they make their journey to find her, will she be able to hold off the darkness trapped inside, or will the Savior become darker than ever before. Captain swan.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or OUAT_

* * *

And then she was gone.

Her last words echoing in the wind,

 _I love you._

Nobody had moved, everyone frozen in place, all eyes fixed on the spot that she was standing on mere seconds ago. The only sound heard was the quiet sobbing of Mary Margret, and the small whimper that left his mouth when his eyes slid to the dagger on the stone floor. Engraved in fancy, curved, writing was her name, Emma Swan.

The Dark One.

Killian couldn't help but wince : Oh, the irony.

Quietly, as if not to break the spell that had been put over the group, he crept towards the dagger, his breathing ragged and raged in his throat. He knelt down and stretched his hand carefully towards it, caressing the edge of the blade gently.

He breathed out a single, undying word.

" _Emma."_

Although it was only a whisper, his voice managed to crack on it.

His heart was being ripped in two. Killian knew first-hand what it felt like to have your heart ripped out of your chest, and could remember that it wasn't pleasant to say the least. But this, for some reason, this pain seemed _so_ much worse. She was only just back with him, after her battle with the darkness, after the enchanted forest; he had finally got her back safely in his arms.

Only to lose her.

Again.

 _Again._

The hand on his shoulder brought him away from his thoughts, back to this sick reality . David had ventured up behind him and now too stared down at the blade, glaring at it as if it had caused him some personal offence. Well, he supposed it had.

Taking a shaky breath, Killian grabbed hold of the handle and lifted the dagger to the fading light, turning round to face his audience. It hadn't really hit any of them yet, that she was really gone. How could it?

"Killian?"

His head whipped round to look at David, he had never called him that before. What changed? Maybe he was trying to back in his good graces after literally stabbing him in the back.

"Come back to the apartment with us," David sighed.

Killian pulled a face. On one hand, he should go back with them, they could start discussing how to find this Merlin and he knew they would offer him a place to stay, or he could go back to the Jolly Roger, drown himself in rum, and try to forget the last 24 hours. To be honest, the latter sounded more appetizing, he wasn't sure he could deal with the Charming's speeches of hope right now, or even worse, watching them fall apart. (Or them watching him do the same.)

Just as he started to shake his head at the offer David spoke again.

"For Henry?"

Ah yes, Henry.

Someone would have to break the news to him about his mother. He may not be able to be there for Emma right now, but he could bloody well be there for her son and somehow he couldn't bring himself to not comfort the boy.

-/-

As they entered the building Henry raced up to them, asking how it went with Gold. He was only half way through his sentence when he noticed the solemn air that surrounded the group.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes scanning the group. They widened when he noticed the missing member of the gang. "Where's Mum?" His voice sounded so small, so breakable.

He looked between David and Killian nervously. The silence in the group could have cut glass. Exchanging a glance with David and receiving a small nod, Killian stepped forwards and knelt down, putting a hand on the lad's shoulder.

"Henry," he sucked in a breath, " The darkness, it took Emma . It's made her the dark one, she's gone I'm ... I'm so sorry."

Killian looked down, no longer able to meet Henry's eyes, his voice filled with pain. Henry looked up to Regina in disbelief. When she gave him a small nod to confirm what he'd just heard, he let out a small sob and he flung himself at the pirate.

Killian froze in shock, hesitantly putting his arms around the boy before pulling him closer. Emma had been everything to Henry, he couldn't imagine what it must be like for the boy.

After sitting for two hours on the Charming's couch, listening to their ideas (some of them completely ludicrous) for how to find this Merlin, he couldn't take it anymore. Abruptly standing up, he bid his goodbyes quickly and stormed out the house, ignoring any calls for him to come back.

Everything felt hopeless at the moment. Everyone had thrown themselves into trying to find a way to bring Emma back but he couldn't get his head around the fact that she was gone. She had been by his side and he couldn't believe that she was now alone, the darkness taking over right this second.

No.

He couldn't let himself think like that. Emma was strong; she wouldn't let that happen without putting up a fight. He'd seen her fight battle after battle, always coming out on top. His swan was a survivor, just like himself. He refused to let that nasty voice in the back of his mind make him loose hope, the voice telling him that he might as well just give up now, he'd never see her again. And in a way the voice was right. He'd never get her back if he carried on like this. He would fight for Emma, just like he knew she would for him.

With this in mind, he turned on the spot, only halfway to the docks, and started to head back to the apartment. But it wasn't long before he found himself staring up at the clock tower, his feet taking him to the library instead of Emma's family. Surely there was something in one of these books about this Merlin everyone was so instant on finding. Seeing that the library was empty, Belle probably with the crocodile, he picked out the first book he found that mentioned the Dark One ,started to read, determined to find something useful.

-/-

And that's where they found him, hours later, surrounded by books, half sleep. No one said anything, David just helped him up and they staggered back to the apartment. It was only as they were walking back that Killian look up at the black sky and realized how late it had become. He felt a slither of guilt creep up inside of him and he hoped he hadn't kept them up worrying. They needed sleep, not that they'd be able to get it, but they needed to try anyway.

As they climbed up the steps to the apartment David tentatively broke the silence.

"Did you find anything?"

Killian looked at him, eyes questioning, before they changed to understanding, making him sigh and regretfully shaking his head. "Nothing that we didn't know already, mate."

A frown appeared on the prince's face but he nodded slowly, as if he hadn't expected anything else.

As they entered the building Regina could be heard talking to the group in sure and steady tones.

"Okay, let's go through what we know. Emma is now the dark one. Where she is right now is unknown. The only one who can take away the darkness is the sorcerer, Merlin. Who is in Camelot?"

Regina turned to Belle who had at some point apparently joined the research party.

"Yes, or at least that's what the legends say. He and King Arthur are said to have run Camelot for the last few centuries." The librarian confirmed.

Mary Margaret gasped, eyebrows furrowed. "Centuries?"

Regina ignored the remark and carried on her speech. "Right, Merlin, who is in Camelot... "

She paused, unsure how to continue, Killian piped up.

"Camelot then, is _that_ where Emma is?" he asked, trying to hide the desperation in his voice.

Regina was starting to look a little lost now, it seemed this was the one time that she didn't have all the answers.

David took pity on her. "Why don't we go find the apprentice, he may have some of the answers we're looking for. He'll know what to do."

A mummer of agreement passed through the small crowd and they stated to make their way to the door. Killian hung back, still apprehensive. How did they all seem so optimistic? He expected Mary Margaret and David to be a mess and Henry to be in tears. He even thought Regina would be more upset than this. How could they just carry on, as if nothing had happened, treating this as if any other villain had come to town and needed to be stopped.

This wasn't any other villain, it was _Emma._

Then it hit him, this was their way of coping.

While he wanted nothing more than to drink himself into an oblivion, make all of this seem like a bad dream, they threw themselves into finding a solution. They were putting all their focus on finding Emma, not giving themselves time to mourn, in the hope that they won't have to. They weren't instead playing memories of Emma over and over in their minds, desperately trying to hold on to any last connection with her so not to lose her completely, unlike himself. Huh, maybe that wasn't such a bad idea, anything to stop this whirlwind of emotions swirling up inside of him, threatening to break out. This must be why they always have hope; they don't stop, not even thinking about the flip side of things. So determine to succeed that they let nothing stand in their way.

Well if works for them, what's the harming in trying?

* * *

The first thing that registered in Emma's mind as she started to come too was that she was cold, freezing even. Curling into herself, her mind tried to process what had happened and why she was now shivering. The last thing she remembered was Killian's face looking back at her filled with pure desperation. Not an expression she sees often on him, but she couldn't put her finger on why it was there in the first place. Everything was blurry, like she was trying to do a jigsaw in her mind but everything was out of focus. However after a few minutes all became clear, the final piece put into place, and Emma wished she'd never started the damn puzzle.

It all flooded back to her, the darkness, Merlin, Regina trapped, the darkness threatening to take over the town, and then finally, the faces of her loved ones begging her to stay.

But she couldn't, there was only one way to make sure everyone was safe and she hadn't been prepared to let the opportunity slip away when it presented itself. No, this was safer for everyone. She was safely away from them where she could do them no harm. Emma could feel the darkness inside of her, starting to battle all the light and good, but she was still confident that she could hold it off, for now anyways. Hopefully she could find this Merlin fellow before it took over her completely, turning her into something she absolutely dreaded.

A shiver ran down her spine, prompting more and more to come, meaning that before she knew it she was shaking, curled up on the damp, hard, ground.

And that last thought brought her back the question at hand.

Where the hell was she?

* * *

 _This is my first multi chapter so I would deeply appreciate it if people let me know what they think of it. Good? Bad?_

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	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry this has taken me so long to post. Hopefully I will be updating this more often now, as I have more of the story line planned out and I know where I wish to take this, so I can start writing ahead and updating more often. Hope you enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I own practically nothing_

* * *

Killian fiddled with his hook whilst he tried to process what he'd just been told.

The apprentice, once confronted, had sat them all down and explained all he knew about Merlin and the origin of the Dark One. By the time he'd finished six sets of eyes stared back at him as if he were mad. Everyone had heard and seen their fair share of strange things, coming from the enchanted forest it was impossible not to, but this was a bit too far-fetched even for them.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Regina stepped forwards and through narrowed her eyes.

"So you're telling us that somehow, this Merlin, managed to pull darkness out of the most powerful and evil sorceress ever seen, and then, what, tethered it to a person who became the Dark One." The skepticism was clear in her voice.

His voice shook a little, "Yes, yes, that is correct."

Ignoring his weary tone Mary Margaret chimed in, "Well, the how did he even defeat this witch, if she'd as bad as you say?"

Killian watched as the old man sighed and rose from his chair.

"With great difficulty,"

Dry looks and raised eyebrows passed around the group.

The man shook his head and continued: "He had help, King Arthur and his sword Excalibur were with him. It was only after a great battle that they beat the witch and gained immortality so they were able to rule over Camelot for the years to come."

"Sounds like an interesting bunch." Killian muttered under his breath.

David frowned. "This witch, what was her name?"

"Morgan Le Fay, known to some as Morgana."

A sharp gasp escaped Regina's mouth as a worried expression flickered over her face.

"Something wrong, Regina?" the Apprentice questioned.

"No, ugh, no. Nothing, I just… I recognized the name. That's all." she stammered out.

Everyone seemed to accept the answer, apart from Killian who continued to stare at her, brows furrowed.

"Well then, if that's everything I would appreciate it if I could get some rest now. In _peace_." The apprentice gave David a meaningful look.

The prince took the hint and started ushering the group outside, nodding his thanks to the Apprentice before he joined them.

For the first time since they had left the apartment, Belle spoke up. "So what now?"

To be honest he had completely forgotten she was there. A small feeling of guilt built up inside of him, as much as he hated to admit it, she should probably be with her true love at the moment, not here helping them. It was unfair of him too under appreciated her, after all they had become close in the six weeks of peace before this whole mess started. Mates even.

"Well it's not like he told us anything useful about where Emma is." Regina snapped.

David threw her a warning look. "Regina."

"Well do you now know where your daughter is David? Do you?"

David let out an exasperated sigh. "No, but now we know more about the Dark One and the dagger. Any information is useful information."

Killian was getting a little impatient himself by now. "Regina's right though Dave. We are no closer to finding out where Emma _is._ "

David's eyes softened when he heard the anguish in his voice.

Laying a hand on Killian's arm, he held his gaze. "We'll find her, that's what we do. We always find each other."

Looking down Killian gave him a curt nod then watched as David jumped into a conversation with his wife, and sighed.

He just hoped he was right.

* * *

Her head hurt, her muscles ached, and she was pretty sure that by the end of the day her feet would be covered in blisters.

She had been walking for what felt like days. In a matter of fact it was probably a couple of hours but when you're surrounded by trees, and what seemed to be the exact same trees, you feel like you're going nowhere.

Emma had no idea where she was going, but had reasoned with herself that there must be some sort of civilization around somewhere and she was not resting until she found it. She didn't even know what realm she was in, and it was only a matter of time before she went into full on dark one mode and destroyed everything (and everyone) she cared about.

Lost in her train of thought, she stupidly didn't notice the sound of horse hooves coming from behind her. It was only when she felt the blade of a sword upon her neck that she cursed herself for being so careless.

The booming sound of a voice echoed around the empty woods. "Who are you, and what is your business here?" the pause was almost tangible and the voice suddenly became very, _very_ sinister, "I would answer carefully if I were you."

She paused, unsure how to answer. The truth seemed the easiest way to go, and she didn't have the strength to form a credible lie so, the truth it was. Emma took a deep breath "Look, to be completely honest with you, I'm lost. I'm just passing through really, I fell out this portal thing, long story short, here I am." She finished uncertainly. Even with her level of expertise it was impossible to gauge a reaction of someone you couldn't see.

"A portal you say? What ya think boys, should be bring her to the king and let her explain how this 'portal' of hers works?"

A mummer of agreement spread throughout the group of men that she now could make out through the thick tree line. As the figures became clearer she realized that she was in fact completely encircled. Damn it, this really narrowed down her chances of escape. An eerie feeling passed through Emma, she felt the urge to use her magic. Wipe out the group of men, regardless of how many there were, and watch their blood run about her feet.

But seconds later the feeling faded and Emma could think clearly again. Wait what? she didn't even have that kind of power, let alone know how to do it. The most she had practiced with her magic was transporting Henry's bowl of cereal around the apartment.

She noticed out of the blue, that the men all on horses had a _very_ clear advantage over her. She took this chance to examine them. The knight (she had already decided they were knights, no one would wear armour like _that_ if they had the choice) that had originally spoken, still held a sword to her neck, was clad in a long red cape and chain-mail over the top of his body. There was some sort of family crest on the fabric but she couldn't make it out without craning her neck, not a good idea in her current position. She noticed that the others were all dressed similarly. It was only then that their words dawned on her.

"Wait King? Which king?"

One of the knights sniggered behind his gloved hand, clearly amused at her ignorance.

"Where've you been living this last century?"

Emma narrowed her eyes, _none of your effing business_ she thought sarcastically. Instead she sighed "Humour me."

The first knight, who she assumed was their leader, looked at her a little taken aback, before giving her an answer that filled her both with relief, and great fear.

"King Arthur."

* * *

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